Molly Davis GSOE '12 Alumni

Commercial real estate might not seem like a natural career path for a Lesley graduate with a master’s degree in elementary education, but for Molly Davis MEd ’12 the lessons she learned in the university’s classrooms and at the Morse School are key contributors to her success today

Molly Davis speaks about her rewarding experience at Lesley

Commercial real estate might not seem like a natural career path for a Lesley graduate with a master’s degree in elementary education, but for Molly Davis MEd ’12 the lessons she learned in the university’s classrooms and at the Morse School are key contributors to her success today.

“At Lesley, I definitely learned to be more understanding and accepting of people, including myself,” says Davis, who now works as a commercial real estate broker with Cushman & Wakefield in Boston. “The professors did a great job teaching us the ability to explain concepts in various ways, they honed our presentation skills, and most of all, and they taught us the value of patience.”

Prior to attending Lesley, Davis worked in commercial real estate in Washington, DC. She enjoyed the work but decided to expand her horizons, trying a stint in substitute teaching in the Bay Area. She has also been involved in volunteering with young people throughout schools in San Francisco and at the Boys and Girls Club of Boston. “I was drawn to Lesley because of its reputation as a premier institution for studying education. It’s a place for self-starters, and I was impressed with the way the university structures its program requirements.”

Among her favorites, Davis particularly enjoyed Issues in American Education, which examines diverse contemporary issues in American education through a combination of field-based experiences and investigation of the social and historical forces that shape the character of schooling in a democratic society. The course opens the dialogue about the nature of teaching and learning, and the design of educational programs in the context of societal, political, and economic structures as well as within the diverse cultural values of a pluralistic society.

Most fondly, Davis recalls Professor Rick Cass, who brought his own experience as a special education teacher in the Brookline Public Schools to classroom discussions in Designing Instruction for the Inclusive Classroom. “If you’re going to be a teacher, you are always going to have students of varying ability,” notes Davis. “It was by far the most intense work-load of any course I took, but each assignment was clearly valuable so we were happy to tackle every one of them. Professor Cass taught us how to create an inclusive classroom and what to look for in terms of student readiness and needs. His ability to see each student’s unique needs and create a welcoming and successful classroom was truly amazing. I recommended his course to anyone that would listen to me.”

Davis also forged strong bonds during her fourth grade student teaching at the Morse School in Cambridge. “My supervisor, Megan Zinc, was wonderful,” recalls Davis. “My two take-over weeks were a huge challenge but so rewarding. It was pretty overwhelming and scary at first but I got the swing of things and no two weeks have ever flown by so quickly. Megan stood back and let me do my thing but she was a huge help and so incredibly supportive.”

Davis even helped revamp the school’s swimming curriculum, plunging right in with her students. “It was definitely sink or swim in every way during my student teaching days,” she recalls with a laugh.

After graduating in 2012, Davis was drawn back into the world of commercial real estate. “It came down to the fact that my family has a long history in real estate development and my strengths are more in the business world. But I know that when I have children and in my volunteer work, the amazing lessons I learned at Lesley will continue to guide me.”